How It Ends
by Louis Tsunami
Summary: POST PHANTOM PLANET This story chronicles the experiences of Danny and Sam toward the end of Phantom Planet. Please read and review. DS
1. Going Out With A Bang

Author's Note: Hey everybody. I just want to give fair warning to anyone who may be reading this. This is a **POST PHANTOM PLANET** fic. In case you didn't know, PP is the latest Danny Phantom movie, the last episode of season three. So, if you haven't seen it yet, I don't recommend you read this fanfic. It contains major **PHANTOM PLANET SPOILERS**. So, if you haven't watched it yet and don't want to spoil it, don't read this.

This chapter is a recap of the end of Phantom Planet, but with a mixture of narrative and dialogue. I recommend that you read it, even if you just watched the episode. This will give you some (hypothetical) insight into Sam's thoughts, and should be enjoyable. If I decide to continue, all future chapters will take place just after the end of Phantom Planet.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom, and all related characters, plot ideas, locations, inventions, (ect.) are the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, and their affiliates. I claim no rights to any copyrighted works. I certify that my ideas are all original. Any similarity to actual people, locations, events, books, movies, or other works of fanfiction are entirely coincidental.

**POST PHANTOM PLANET FIC BELOW!**

* * *

**How It Ends**

Jazz turned and walked back into the control center for Danny's intangible earth project, leaving Sam alone with Danny Phantom. Danny's ghost form protected him from the Antarctic temperature, and Sam was wearing her warmest Gothic coat and winter hat. She grabbed Danny's wrist and opened her hand over his, dropping the class ring into his open hand.

"It's the ring you were gonna give Valerie. You asked me to hold it, remember?" The name "Wes" which had confused her for so long could be seen just inside the band. "Something tells me it was really meant for me." She flipped the ring over, revealing the engraved name: Sam. Danny looked at Sam, confusion written all over his face.

"Take it with you, but promise to bring it back." She closed his hand over the ring. "If you promise, then… then I know I'll see you again." Sam looked away, fighting back the urge to cry.

Danny met Sam's eyes. "If we make it through this–"

"_When_ we make it through this," Sam corrected.

"Right. _When_ we make it through this, I have a few things I need to talk to you about." Sam couldn't help but smile. She had a pretty good idea about what Danny might need to discuss with her.

"I think I'd be willing to listen." The smile fell away from Sam's face as the prospect of failing this attempt to save the world crossed her mind. "And no matter how this thing ends, this whole ride we've been on together," Sam said as she took a step closer to Danny, "I wouldn't change it for the world." She took both of his hands in hers. "Not one bit."

"Me neither." Danny placed his hands on Sam's arms. "I…"

Sam figured there was no better time, and she really had nothing left to lose at this point. Leaning forward, she kissed Danny lightly on the cheek. She pulled back and looked at her feet, terrified of how he would react. Danny's hand under her chin forced her to look up at him. And then it happened.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Danny kissed her on the lips, sending her into shock and nearly making her forget how to breathe. She faintly registered his hands gently holding her face as her world seemed to spin around her. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, and the contact with Danny felt like fire and ice and lightning and night, all at once.

The pressure of her first real kiss slowly subsided as Danny pulled away, his hands dropping away from her face to lace his fingers with hers. Both of them were looking down, and both were breathing heavily; not from lack of air, but from the intensity of whatever it was that had just washed over them.

"Wow," Danny articulated, smiling at her. "Remind me to save the world more often." Sam returned the smile, and then she remembered what Danny was about to do.

"Go." Danny slipped his hands out of Sam's and flew intangibly into the Fenton Op Center, and just as the Infini-Map had predicted, a ghost portal opened over the South Pole. Sam stayed where she was until Danny's jet took off, and she waved at him just before he disappeared into the ghost zone. Then, she turned and joined Jazz inside the control center.

* * *

Sam had been waiting as patiently as she could for Danny to return to her safely. Tucker was watching a screen that his PDA had calibrated to monitor the movement of the Fenton Op Center. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Tucker exclaimed in excitement, "He's coming back!"

Sam ran to the window and watched alongside Jazz and Tucker as Danny's jet burst out of the Ghost Zone. A cheer erupted through the control center as leaders from across the globe realized what this meant: Danny had succeeded. The world was safe.

Sam watched the jet, eager to embrace Danny upon his return. She felt as though nothing could make this day more perfect.

The jet sailed in toward the control center, and then, to Sam's confusion, straight over it. Sam ran to the opposite side of the room, but the crowd of scientists and national leaders blocked her view.

"Danny," whispered Jazz, watching the scene with unbelief in her eyes. Sam pushed her way through the crowd and, to her horror, saw the burning remains of the Fenton Op Center crashed into a mountainside, the twisted metal barely recognizable.

"No! He…he can't be." A beep at the radar system alerted the room to their present situation. Everyone watched the screen helplessly as the asteroid crossed in front of the sun, casting a shadow over the people below.

"It's coming!" shouted Tucker. Sam watched Jack Fenton wrap his arms around his wife and daughter.

"Listen. I just want you all to know that… I love you. And I'm so proud of each and every one of you for trying your best."

"We love you too, Dad," replied Jazz.

"At least we're all together," answered Maddie. Sam watched Jazz begin to cry, and she understood what was going through the older girl's mind. The Fentons didn't understand that they truly weren't all together… and at least in this world, they never would be again.

"I…" started Jazz, tears running freely down her face. "Oh, Mom! There's something you need to know." She looked over at the robot posing as Danny, and as soon as Maddie gave it more than a passing glance, she realized that something was amiss. She walked over to it, swiped the wig off of its head, and gasped.

"A robot? Where's Danny? Jasmine, where's your brother?" Maddie Fenton was hysterical. Jazz looked over at the burning wreckage of the Fenton Op Center, and Maddie followed her gaze, giving a gasp of dread. "Jack, where's Danny?"

Sam couldn't bear to see the flames on the mountainside any longer, and ran across the room. How could Danny be dead? He promised to come back. He promised to bring back the ring. But soon… it wouldn't matter. Sam looked up at the ghost portal from where, only moments before, she had thought Danny was returning in triumph. She felt as if her heart were being torn in two.

Until…

"Look! The portal!" It was as if by magic. As everyone gathered on her side of the control center, Danny was sailing across the Antarctic sky. A moment later, he was accompanied by the largest assembly of ghosts Sam had ever seen. There must have been millions of them. Everyone erupted in cheers, and the smile returned to Sam's face as she watched the boy she loved fly in to save the world.

As the numberless ghosts each found a place to touch the intangibility core, the control center became alive with activity. The Fentons, Tucker, Valerie, and other researchers from across the globe began adjusting the necessary settings to transfer the ghosts' energy across the entire planet.

The ghosts began to focus their energy, sending a pulse of power through the coils that covered the globe, waiting for the right moment. Sam watched Tucker's satellite feed as the appropriately entitled "Disasteroid" grew ever closer to the Earth. Then, at the last possible moment…

"Now!" Tucker screamed to the ghosts, and every one of them became intangible. Their power raced through the coils, and Sam felt that strange tingling sensation that she associated with intangibility. Just to check she reached out, and sure enough, her hand passed straight through Jazz. Tucker's screen showed the asteroid passing straight through the North Pole.

Danny's plan had worked.

When the asteroid shot up through the ground and flew off into the sky above them, the ghosts released the intangibility core, and the world became solid again. Sam hugged Jazz as Tucker flopped back into his seat, letting out a long held breath of air.

The instant Danny alighted on the ground, Sam jumped into him, wrapping her arms around him, determined never to let him go. A moment later Jazz followed suit, and then Tucker. The combined weight of the teens sent them all crashing into the snow.

"Awesome," Sam said, smiling at Danny.

"Nice job, little brother," Jazz congratulated Danny, "or should I say hero?"

A shadow passed over the four friends, and Sam looked up to see Skulker standing over them. Danny stood up and addressed the multitude of ghosts.

"I don't know what to say, other than thanks, Skulker. To all of you." Skulker leaned forward and grabbed the front of Danny's jumpsuit.

"Don't get too mushy on us, Ghost Child. Remember, I'll never stop hunting you. And now that you've saved your world, you're a much more valuable prize." Skulker's grin was malicious, but Sam could tell from the tone of his voice that neither he, nor any of the other ghosts, would be giving them any trouble that day. Besides the toll that making the world intangible had taken on each of them, there seemed to be a tacit agreement that the rest of the day would be spent in celebrating the fate of both the Earth and the Ghost Zone.

All at once, the ghosts took off into the sky and flew back home through the portal. After the last of them had vanished from sight, the portal faded out of existence.

"Nice job, Danny," called out Jack Fenton as he and Maddie approached. The four teens turned to face them. "Or should we say… Danny." The way that he looked at Maddie and the tone of his voice made it obvious that they had figured out their son's secret. Danny looked shocked, but quickly gathered himself, assuming a deeper voice reminiscent of the time when he had split his ghost half from his human half.

"What? Ah, sorry, citizens, but I have no idea what you're talking about!" Danny's arm was raised before him, almost as if he intended to ward off his parents with it, but Maddie rushed over and pushed his arm down.

"Isn't there something you want to tell us?" Danny was unable to hide his look of surprise.

Jazz stepped up beside him. "It's okay, Danny. They know."

Danny looked at his parents, and at the crowd of people around him. Sam caught his gaze and smiled at him in reassurance. His face finally setting with determination, Danny Phantom changed back into Danny Fenton. His parents, in spite of all the time they had spent hunting him and vilifying him, smiled at their son. Valerie, Sam noted, appeared to be in a state of complete and utter shock.

The crowd began to clap and cheer. People took photographs of the group. As the crowd began to close in, Danny fought his way through to Sam and took her hand.

* * *

One week later, Sam sat alongside Danny on a hill overlooking the plaza in front of the recently instated Mayor Tucker Foley's office. The entire population of Amity Park was gathered at the assembly, save for the Goth girl and the Ghost Boy.

"I can't believe you didn't want to attend your own ceremony." Sam was leaning back against a tree at the top of the hill, Danny beside her. Down in the square, they were unveiling a statue of Danny, the duplicates of which were located in every national capital in the world.

"Well, you know me," Danny replied, "I kind of like sitting on the sidelines sometimes."

"And your folks are cool with knowing your secret identity?"

"Yeah. The time for secrets is over. The world is safe. Time for new beginnings. My dad even says he wants me to team up with him now. Says I can be _his_ sidekick."

"You're a big star now. Probably the biggest in the world." Sam smiled at her best friend.

"Yeah. It's weird, huh?" Sam closed her eyes, bracing herself to say something that had been clawing at the back of her mind ever since Danny had decided to go public at the South Pole.

"You'll probably get pretty busy."

"What else is new?" Sam took a deep breath.

"And… I probably won't see much of you anymore." Sam knew that, with his secret out, there were thousands of girls that would die for a chance to date the legendary Danny Phantom. She could hardly expect Danny to stick around Amity Park just because of her. Not when he had so many opportunities waiting for him now.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that." Danny reached into his pocket, pulled out the ring that was engraved with her name, and slipped it onto her left ring finger. "Sam, I could never have done any of this without you." Sam could do nothing to fight the tears that were falling from her eyes. "And I don't care what's coming next. I just hope that, whatever it is, you're there to share it with me."

"I will be." Sam forced the tears of joy back. After all, she did have an image to uphold. As Casper High School's resident Goth girl, it was essential that she didn't appear too happy. At least, not where people could see her. She pointed a finger at Danny. "I just have to warn you; I'm no pushover, you know. I still have my own way of doing things." Danny smiled at her fierce attitude.

"That's what I'm counting on." Danny leaned forward and, taking Sam's hands, once more captured her lips with his. This kiss was just as magical for Sam as their last one had been, and Sam was sure she could fly. Even after they finally parted, Sam could still feel the kiss lingering on her lips.

"What do you say?" Danny asked, standing and transforming into Phantom. "Want to go for a ride?" He took her hands in his as she stood up. "See where the future takes us?"

"Why not?" Danny picked Sam up bridal style, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He jumped up, and the two of them flew out across Amity Park, fearless now of being seen.

They passed by the statue of Danny Phantom, holding the planet aloft in his right hand, that Tucker had had commissioned and set up in the town square.

"Cool statue," Sam commented. "Personally, I would have made it out of recycled materials but, you know, that's just me."

Sam closed her eyes and felt the cool night air caress her face as she let Danny carry her off, away from the city, into the rising moon.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this part of the story. It took a lot of work for me to find and copy all of the quotes that I needed. (Namely, every quote Sam was present for and able to hear.) Be sure to let me know what you think. There is a little button just below that says Go. If you would be kind enough to let me know what you thought, I would greatly appreciate it. 


	2. The Biggest Star In The World

Author's Note: This chapter backtracks a bit, starting just after the victory over the asteroid and through to the end of Phantom Planet. I have no idea for how many chapters this will continue, but I hope to clear up a whole bunch of loose ends. Reviews with suggestions and constructive criticism are much appreciated.

Also, I would be very grateful if anyone could verify or correct me in this: at the beginning of the first season, Danny, Sam and Tucker were freshmen, and I believe that two summers have passed since then. So… are they juniors now? In any case, I'm going to say that they are sixteen until/unless somebody offers me sufficient evidence that they are some other age. Thank you to anyone who can confirm or disprove my logic.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom, and all related characters, plot ideas, locations, inventions, (ect.) are the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, and their affiliates. I claim no rights to any copyrighted works. I certify that my ideas are all original. Any similarity to actual people, locations, events, books, movies, or other works of fanfiction are entirely coincidental.

For two weeks after Danny Phantom saved planet Earth from the 'Disasteroid,' Casper High granted its students and faculty an unscheduled vacation to celebrate the success of the mission and to burn off all of the accumulated stress. All across the world, people were granted leave from work and children from school to celebrate the new global hero, Daniel Fenton.

The first week was unbearable for Danny. It was bad enough being hounded by thousands of people, receiving phone calls from world leaders… when the President of the United States called him at home to congratulate him and to request his presence at a recognition ceremony in his honor, told him that a private jet was being sent to fly him and his parents to Washington D.C., Danny hardly knew what to think. He visited his country's capital, shook the President's hand, and addressed the assembly.

"For a long time, I have been fighting for the citizens of Amity Park, and occasionally the world, because somehow it fell on me to protect everyone from the enemies that the police and the military had no power to fight. I've been through more than most anyone could imagine. I've fought an army of ghosts a thousand strong. I've defeated the king of ghosts. I've traveled into the future and fought a corrupt version of myself. I stopped a deranged circus performer from using dark magic to take over the world. And many times, I've fought to protect my family and friends from someone with powers like mine, someone who wanted to use them for evil: Vlad Plasmius.

"And in every battle that I have fought, one thing hasn't changed; my friends, Sam and Tucker, and most recently my sister Jazz," at this Danny looked down at his sister who was sitting at a table with Jack and Maddie, smiling back and unaware of the cameras that panned to her, "have been there for me through thick and thin. I would never have made it through all this if it wasn't for their help.

"What amazes me about this latest challenge is that, when it came down to the fate of the planet, we were all able to band together, humans of all nations as well as ghosts, to save our respective worlds. Nobody thought about skin color or background; we all worked together and saved the world. Saving the world is not something that anyone can do alone, and I know this from experience. I hope that every nation of the world, those that have been friends and those that have fought as enemies, can learn something from this near disaster. It is my hope that we can continue to rely on each other, both in times of peril and in times of peace. Thank you."

Danny stepped off of the stage to thunderous applause, and the President shook his hand once more. He collapsed in a chair next to his family, shaking visibly, and his father wrapped an arm around him, a glint of pride in his eye.

"You know, Danny," Jack said proudly, "I think it's high time you team up with your old man. Say, you can be my sidekick!"

It seemed to Danny that the entire world was watching him, more so than ever after he made his speech at the Presidential ceremony. Maddie ultimately decided to unhook all of the phones in the house, and when Danny's cell number was somehow released, he had to shut it off.

What made this week so unbearable for Danny wasn't so much the press interviews, or the phone calls, but the fact that he didn't have a moment to spend with Sam or Tucker. Specifically, Danny wanted to spend time with Sam. He hadn't had a chance to set everything straight with her since they shared their first real kiss in Antarctica, and he was worried that she might think he was blowing her off.

As Danny sat on his bed, wondering what exactly he was going to do… his cell phone rang. Danny stared at the phone for a moment, confused. He had turned the phone off, and nobody had touched it. It kept ringing. Cautiously, Danny picked up the cell phone and answered the call.

"Um, hello?"

"Hey, Danny," came the reply, and Danny was relieved to hear Tucker's voice. "Sorry if I startled you. The phone line to your house was disconnected, and your cell was off, so I used a satellite uplink to override the settings on your cell phone and put the call through."

"No problem at all. I was wondering how you and Sam are doing, but every time I try to leave the house I get mobbed, and the phones wouldn't stop ringing long enough for me to call you. I tried to sneak out invisibly yesterday, but it seems the Guys in White are monitoring my house and alerting the public as to my location. I can't go anywhere without being followed, which puts a friendly visit out of the question."

"It's cool, Danny. I've spoken with Sam, and after seeing you on t.v. the other night, she understands that you are really busy right now. No worries. Actually, what I wanted to talk to you about something. Something big."

"What is it, Tuck?"

Danny heard Tucker take in a deep breath before speaking. "Well, since Vlad was elected mayor and has fled town, Amity Park has been looking for a new one. Apparently the community was impressed with all of my work on your intangibility machine. Tons of people from around the town were telling me that I should run for mayor. I think they were only kidding to begin with, but I found a law that said a mayoral candidate under the age of twenty-one could be put on the ballot if they had a petition signed by at least fifty-one percent of the voting community.

"While you were off in Washington, I was collecting signatures, and I managed to get my name on the ballot. And, if you had been watching the news, you would have seen that I, Tucker Foley, at age sixteen, am officially the youngest mayor in the history of Amity Park."

"Tucker, are you serious?!" Danny exclaimed. "That is awesome! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Tucker replied. "I'm holding my first official meeting, in your honor, in the Plaza this evening at eight. Everyone in town is going to be there. I've commissioned the production of a series of statues modeled after you, and guess what? There's going to be a copy of this statue in every national capital in the world!"

Danny did his best not to groan. The last thing that he needed was a statue to remind everyone to harass the Ghost Boy. Still, he was happy for his friend, and didn't let on what he thought about the statues.

"Oh, hey Danny, I've got to go. I need to prepare my speech for tonight. See you there!"

"Bye," Danny answered while hanging up as something clawed at the back of his mind. Something about his conversation with Tucker was trying to push its way into the foreground of his mind…

_Everyone in town is going to be there._

Yes! Perfect. Looking at his alarm clock, Danny saw that it was already quarter past seven. Danny rushed out of his room to find Jazz coming up the stairs.

"Hey, Jazz. Have you been watching the news?"

"Yeah," Jazz answered, "they said that Tucker has been elected mayor. Can you believe it? And he's having some sort of 'statue unveiling' for you tonight. We're all going down soon–"

"Right, about that," Danny interrupted. "If Tucker asks where I am, would you just let him know that I have some unfinished business to attend to?" Jazz nodded. "Great, thanks." And, with that settled, Danny transformed into Phantom and shot straight up through the ceiling.

Danny hovered invisibly over his house, and within moments the Guys in White were there in a helicopter, shouting through a bullhorn that Danny Phantom was on the move.

"So, it's a chase they want, huh? Well, then let's give them one." Danny split to form one duplicate, which became visible and took off flying in the direction of Casper High. The Guys in White followed in pursuit, as did a crowd of news reporters who were stationed around Fenton Works. When Danny saw that the coast was clear, he made his way over to Sam's mansion. Floating just outside her window, he peeked in and found her lying on her stomach on the bed, listening to music and flipping through a book. He reached out and lightly tapped on the window.

Sam looked up from her book and, when she saw Danny, smiled, jumped up, and opened the window for him. "Danny!" She hugged him the moment he was inside, making Danny's heart beat a little faster, because it felt so _right_ to hold Sam in his arms. "I've really missed you, Danny. I haven't seen you in almost a week."

"I know," Danny answered, turning his head to kiss Sam just above her ear. "I'm sorry. I haven't had any luck leaving the house without being mobbed until today, and I couldn't call you because the phone is always busy. Or was, until Mom disconnected it. I couldn't IM you, because my screen name was released to the public, and trying resulted in several thousand simultaneous messages which froze my computer. And, if you can believe it, Yahoo suspended my e-mail account because it was filling up so fast. They sent me a letter telling me that they are working on a filter just for me, one that searches for keywords to sort out requests for help, fan mail, and any junk mail I get, like letters of harassment."

"This is crazy," Sam said, still holding on to Danny, and he wasn't complaining.

"I know. Finally, though, I managed to slip under the radar. So, would you be willing to skip my ceremony with me? We never really got a chance to talk after the Disasteroid was taken care of. Since everyone is going to be at the ceremony, we should be safe to talk in the park."

"Of course, Danny," Sam answered, "just let me put on my boots." She slipped her arms from around his neck to put on her boots, and then joined Danny by the window. He took her hand, walked with her through the glass of her window, and flew invisibly with her over the streets of Amity Park.

As he had expected, the entire town's population was in the plaza, probably hoping for a chance to speak to the now famous Danny Phantom. Paulina was there with Star, wearing a Danny Phantom tee-shirt, holding a big poster that said, "We love you, Phantom!"

"Well, there's an improvement," Sam quipped. "At least it's better than 'Invis-O-Bill.'" Danny groaned and landed at the top of the hill in the park that overlooked the rest of the city. Here, Danny knew he would have a chance to speak privately with Sam, and if for any reason his whereabouts became known, Danny could see the entire town and would be able to leave before anyone accosted them.

"I can't believe you didn't want to attend your own ceremony." Sam leaned back against a tree at the top of the hill, looking down at the congregation of people in the square. Danny sat beside her, watching the people far below in the plaza.

"Well, you know me. I kind of like sitting on the sidelines sometimes."

"And your folks cool with knowing your secret identity?"

Danny thought about his parents' reactions; how proud they were of him, both for saving the world and for admitting the truth. Actually, since revealing his secret identity, Danny had received only positive encouragement from everyone. Valerie had, at least, smiled and cheered when he revealed his secret, and hadn't been hunting him. Even the Guys in White, who previously tried to have him arrested, now settled for mere surveillance so that they could study his fights, hoping to determine just how he had become half ghost.

"Yeah. The time for secrets is over. The world is safe. Time for new beginnings." He wasn't sure if Sam quite knew what he meant by that, but he wasn't planning on making her wait long to find out. "My dad even says he wants me to team up with him now. Says I can be _his _sidekick."

"You're a big star now. Probably the biggest in the world," Sam said with a grin.

"Yeah. It's weird, huh?" Danny still hadn't become used to the idea that, within the last week, he had become a global icon. Children across the world were saying his name. Diplomats and world leaders and renowned scientists and talk show hosts were discussing him, both at work and at home.

"You'll probably get pretty busy," Sam continued. Danny thought back to the last week. He had been flown to Washington D.C. for three days and had spoken at a Presidential conference. He had given no less than eleven personal interviews. And people followed him wherever he went.

"What else is new?" He glanced at Sam, and was disheartened to see that she was no longer smiling.

"And… I probably won't see much of you anymore." The look on Sam's face was killing Danny. Nothing mattered to him more right now than her happiness, and if being with him could possibly make her happy, then that was exactly where Danny wanted to be. He lightly fingered the ring in his pocket to make sure that it was still there.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that." He pulled the ring out and slowly slid it over her left ring finger, hoping that his silent promise would be conveyed clearly. "Sam, I could never have done any of this without you." The smile on Sam's face belied the tears that fell from her perfect violet eyes.

But Danny was only speaking the truth. He knew that, if it wasn't for Sam, he wouldn't be here now. She had encouraged him to explore the Fenton Portal. She had been there for him during fight after countless fight for the last two years. And when he had foolishly chosen to forsake his powers, Sam was the one who talked sense back into him.

"And I don't care what's coming next. I just hope that, whatever it is, you're there to share it with me."

"I will be," Sam answered, blinking back the tears. Danny was struck with how beautiful she was, smiling at him with such affection that he lost all words. "I just have to warn you; I'm no pushover, you know. I still have my own way of doing things." He could tell from the tone of her voice that his strong, independent Sam was back, after having given way temporarily to a softer, more sensitive side that she didn't share with everyone. Danny smiled at her fierceness.

"That's what I'm counting on." Danny took Sam's hands into his own and leaned over to kiss her. The sensation was both burning and cool, and Danny had a sense that there truly were no words to describe it. What thrilled Danny most was the fact that he could relive this sensation, every day, for as long as Sam would have him. He smiled into the kiss and then slowly, reluctantly, pulled back. It was getting late, but the last thing Danny wanted to do was to take Sam home now. He hadn't seen her for a week; and besides, he was the Ghost Boy and she had no curfew (thanks to her parents' frequent business trips, they were never home to enforce one) so who would notice or mind if they spent the evening together? And, in any case, there was still no school. That settled it for Danny.

"What do you say?" Danny asked, standing and transforming into Phantom. "Want to go for a ride?" He took her hands in his as she stood up. "See where the future takes us?"

Sam stood. "Why not?" Apparently, it didn't take much to convince her that staying out would be infinitely more enjoyable than going home now. Danny scooped Sam up in his arms, holding her like a new bride, and jumped up into the air. It had become dark, and everyone had returned to their homes when the Ghost Boy didn't show up at the ceremony, so Danny and Sam now had no fear of being seen. Danny figured also that, until he returned home, the Guys in White would have no way to track him. They probably weren't too thrilled when the duplicate they had been chasing faded out of existence, and Danny expected they would soon redouble their efforts to keep tabs on him. He would just have to find another way to keep them off of his back.

They passed the statue that Tucker had ordered for Amity Park's plaza, and Danny took a look at it under the moonlight for the first time. The likeness to him was phenomenal, and since he had never posed, the artist Tucker hired must be an incredibly talented one. The statue stood, its face stoic, in a position that would put Atlas to shame, holding the world aloft in only one hand.

"Cool statue," Sam commented as they passed by it. "Personally, I would have made it out of recycled materials but, you know, that's just me."

Danny smiled at Sam, content to hold her in his arms and fly her anywhere she wished to go. The cool night air blew his hair back and encouraged Sam to cling to him a little tighter as he flew with her away from Amity Park and into the rising moon.

Author's Note: Hopefully nobody will be too disappointed about my decision, but I'm stopping this here. I had initially intended to continue this, but I feel like inventing what happens next would be better left to a separate story, and maybe sometime I will write one. But I prefer this to remain as honest a rendition of the end of Danny Phantom as I can make it. I appreciate all of the kind reviews that some of you have sent me. If you liked this story, keep an eye out for more in the future.

Louis Tsunami


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